American Jedi: Episode I
by DarkChocolate21
Summary: By Molly. Maya is kidnapped from her school by slave traders and taken to Coruscant. After escaping, the Jedi discover her and she sheds a new light on the way they look at the Force. Maya can't remember her home planet, only that she came from very far a
1. Kidnapped by Aliens

**A/N: This is my first story, I hope you like it!**

Maya Lavelle was your average 6th grader, living in your average Tennessee town. Well, maybe not. You would think her life was pretty normal, and it was, but that was all about to change. Maya woke up one brisk September morning to get ready for school and found that she had fallen asleep on her book of inventions. She loved inventing things, and hoped to hold her own patent someday. Maya dreaded school; she thought it was so dull and uninteresting. The only thing fun there was science.

"Maya, you're going to be late!" her mom yelled.

"I'm _coming_!"

After breakfast, Maya grabbed her backpack and headed to the bus. "_At least it's Friday," _she thought.

¤

Meanwhile, in a galaxy far, far away…

Seven slave traders were starting up their ship on a search for more people they could sell into slavery. Thrulon, their leader, was making plans to send more slaves to Coruscant. He knew he could make a lot of money off slaves, and he had no regrets.

One of his followers grudgingly came and told him they were ready for liftoff.

"Good, lets get or work done early today."

None of the crew had remembered to repair the hyperdrive from their last voyage; and they were about to pay for their forgetfulness.

"Sir, the ship's malfunctioning!"

"Figure out what's wrong with it!"

"We found it. It's the hyperdrive. It's still damaged form last time!"

"AND NO ONE REPAIRED IT?"

"We need to find a docking bay fast. The ship can't take much more!"

"I see a planet straight ahead!"

"TRY TO LAND ON IT BEFORE WE ALL GET KILLED!"

¤

Maya was playing flag football at gym class when her friend Carmen said she saw something in the sky. Everybody stopped and looked up to see a small grayish-black dot coming toward them. It kept getting bigger and bigger, and soon they could make it out to be some sort of spaceship. "A spaceship! Wow! _It looks like something from this one movie… what was it?_" But she was the only one who found it more fascinating than scary.

"AAAAHHHH! Aliens! Run!"

Everyone started screaming and running, and Maya ran across the soccer field and climbed up a tree. It was the fastest she'd ever climbed in her life. She saw the spaceship crash land with a skid directly on her soccer field! It had even ripped up the grass. Maya couldn't believe that she was witnessing the first aliens ever to land on Earth. Then, nothing happened. Nobody came out of the ship. But Maya didn't mind, instead, she raced to get her invention book out of her locker (very far around the ship) and jot down notes about the ship. "_I'll have proof!_" she thought. She got to her locker, but couldn't find the book, so she decided to grab her whole backpack instead. After running as fast as she could, she was relieved to find that the ship was still there, but mortified to find that she had brought her music bag instead! "_How could I possibly mix them up?_" Maya dropped her bag where she stood and went to get her book, which she found on _top _of her locker. With book and bag in hand, she climbed back up the tree to see people fixing the ship. She frantically started sketching the ship and writing notes."_ People? I thought they were supposed to be aliens!_" But, she then noticed others who _did _look like aliens. "_Whoa. Those guys are weird.__Seriously. I wish Carmen could see this._" Then it hit her. Where were her friends? Classmates? Teachers? The school looked deserted! Maya was scared. "_Maybe they're all calling the UFO Hotline. Wait… I think I see someone…" _Maya squinted; maybe she could make out the person if she was closer. She carefully crept farther on the edge of the branch, it was getting wobbly, and she regretted it now...

¤

Thrulon was getting tired of waiting. "Is it ready yet?"

"Almost, sir, the hyperdrive miscalculated, we should have it running in a minute."

"Good. I want to get off this gosh-darned—

"OW!" Thrulon turned around to see a small girl who had fallen out of a tree. Perfect! She looked durable; they could get off here and make a profit!

"Hey! C'mere, you!"

Maya was utterly horrified and shocked. "Y-you speak English?"

"English? What're you talking about? Let's go, we're taking you with us."

"_Act innocent. _B-but Mr. Alien Dude Sir, I don't want to leave Earth. Why?"

"Don't 'Mr. Alien Sir' me. And because you'll make us money. That's all I feel like telling you." He pointed his blaster at her and she immediately did as he told her.

The trip was a quiet one, Maya crying at the back of the ship, wishing she'd ran the other way.

**A/N: I know it's a short chapter; it will get better! Please Review. »Molly**


	2. A Spark of Discovery

**A/N: Chapter Two is a lot better and longer. (Ch. 1 was written in haste.) Enjoy!**

In a small Coruscant apartment in a tiny room, Maya woke with a jolt. "Wha- wha- where am I?" The slave traders always had wiped the memories of their slaves, and Maya was no exception. They thought they would lose the willpower to get back home if they didn't know where home was. Maya found that she still had her book of inventions and her music bag, which contained her flute and a couple of books of sheet music. This place was very strange, like no other bedroom she'd ever seen. Then, she looked out the tinted window and saw an amazing sight: hundreds of ginormous skyscrapers and thousands of spaceships! All the spaceships were different; Maya wished she had more eyes to see them all.

But, the one thing she noticed was something, something she really couldn't explain at all. Maya knew it existed; it wasn't just her imagination. She had very slightly sensed it before, but never as strong as this. "_What in the world is this…. thing? Is it a thing? Is it living? What's it made of?_ " Maya sighed. Maybe when—if—she escaped, she could discover what it was.

"_I think I'm just kidding myself, but this place also looks familiar.__Anyway, I need to start forming an escape plan._" Maya found that people constantly guarded her, and the window was sealed shut. "I'm gonna need a miracle for this, might as well draw this place, if I ever manage to get back home," she muttered.

Days went by, and Maya thought she'd never get out. The only reason Thuron and his cronies were keeping her was that they were waiting for the next slave auction. Poor Maya didn't know what to do, she just kept trying to remember more about her past, but she couldn't remember where she had come from. She only remembered her own name and age, and that she had had family and friends back home. Maya also remembered that she _definitely _didn't live anywhere near here. The things she noticed as means for escape were that the sliding door was only opened when they gave her food, and she couldn't open it from the inside. Another weird thing was, **it **(that's what she'd named the presence) seemed to be gathering up inside her; she was _absorbing_ it somehow.

¤

But one seemingly normal day, Maya heard someone coming to the door. She couldn't see out the window who it was, but she could hear them talking to Thrulon. Maya strained to hear what they were saying, but couldn't. She only heard fragments of the conversation.

"…you are a suspect of illegal slave…"

"There's no one here but me!"

"…about that."

In between fragments she had only heard mumbling, but then again listening through a door it was not very efficient. But, it sounded like the person was going to arrest Thrulon! That meant escape! And none of the others were here; it was only Thrulon on guard duty. Maya couldn't wait to get out of that apartment. "Help! I'm in here!" She banged on the door as hard as she could. "Over here! Please help!" Maya heard running, and a good deal of ruckus when they heard her.

"CODE RED! WE GOT A JEDI, BOYS!" Thrulon yelled. Suddenly, Maya heard the others coming out of the back rooms! She'd forgotten about those! There was a lot of gunshot and fighting; but the good news was, THE DOOR OPENED! Maya saw the slave traders and a woman with brown robes holding a glowing sword thing! "_Hey… I know what those are called,_" Maya thought. "_I know! It's a lightsaber! How the heck did I know that?_" The Jedi was doing fairly well; one time she even saw her flinging the slave traders into the walls! "_It's coming back to me now, he's using the Force!_"

Maya saw the door was open but she didn't want to run straight into all the fighting. The Jedi managed to disarm most of them and injured the others, but the non-injured ones had pinned her down. Maya saw the Jedi's lightsaber near her foot.  
Maybe, just maybe, _she _could use the Force, too. Maya tried to sort of grab the lightsaber, but failed. "_Who am I kidding?_" she thought. But the Jedi pushed her lightsaber toward her.

"Save yourself!" she yelled. Maya pressed the little button to see the florescent green blade emerge, and she cut a hole in the wall. "Hurry! While you still can!" One of the aliens (she had classified them as humans and aliens) was coming to grab her. But Maya wasn't about to leave the one person here who had at least showed her kindness.

She had sheer determination to use this Force, she knew she had no chance, but somehow Maya had the will to simply try. "_I've got nothing to lose; might as well try to help._" She relied simply on her emotion, her desire to help this Jedi. Maya concentrated with all her might; naturally, she was squinting, and didn't notice anything happening. But, as if by magic, Maya saw that from her hands came a flicker, then a small sphere of… light.

"The girl's magic!"

"I told ya we shouldn't have gotten her from a strange planet"

She's probably got alien powers!"

After that remark, Maya had lost her concentration, and in her shock, was silent. But at that moment an idea popped into her head. "Yea, you better watch out, I could blast y'all to outer space if you don't watch out."

"Oh yea? Well, why didn't you already do that right after we kidnapped you?"

Maya slyly retorted, "Exactly."

"Exactly…. what?" Thrulon was getting nervous.

"I have been trained in the ways of my people, we are far more superior than you may believe. _I'm on a roll!_"

"Well, why did your _people _run and scream when we landed?"

"Exactly. _Ha, this is fun!_"

A henchman whispered to Thurlon, "I'm betting we should get out of here…"

"Leaving so soon?" Maya sparked her light again.

"Yes! You're free! Goodbye!"

¤

"Your people are very interesting, I've never heard of them."

"Y'all actually _believed _all that bogus?"

"Bogus. I see. Clever. My name is Jedi Master Adi Gallia. And you are?"

"Maya Lavelle, my name's basically all I can remember. But I remember this place I saw once in a movie."

"A movie? What might that be, young one?"

"Y'all don't know what a movie is? Sheesh, where've you been your whole life?"

"I've been across this entire galaxy, and never have I seen or heard of a movie."

"Whoa."

¤

"Now, about that little episode—"

"I don't know what I did! Seriously! I just concentrated really hard and those light things just… happened!"

"You are strong in the Force, Maya. I was going to take you to an orphanage if you couldn't remember where your family is, but now, you're coming with me."

"Where?"

"You'll see."

**A/N: More of Maya's true colors will begin to show in the following chapters. Please Review! »Molly**


	3. A Jedi? Me?

A/N: I had forgotten to put the disclaimer on the first chapter, obviously I don't own any original Star Wars characters, but I do own Maya.

Master Gallia took Maya to what she thought to be a really big building with really, really tall towers. These made the Empire State Building look puny. "_This place is what I've been sensing!_ Master Gallia this place—"

"Yes, I know. This is the Jedi Temple. I hope you find it interesting. Meet me back at the entrance in about ten minutes, and feel free to take a look ar—" But Maya had already taken off running. Master Gallia yelled after her, "If anybody asks, tell them I gave you permission to come! _Well, time for me to report this to the Council. I wonder what they'll think of it?_"

¤

"_This place is amazing!_" Maya thought as she opened the door. "_I've never seen anything like it!_" There were people and aliens in those same brown robes everywhere she looked. "_I bet it's their uniform._" Some were staring at her, wondering why she was there, so Maya decided to lay low. She didn't have time to see everything, and some rooms had nothing in them except buttons. Maya was tempted, but restrained herself. "_The last thing I need is to mess something up._" Maya was able to find the library, but there were only some books and the rest were these little rectangular things with buttons! "_Uh oh, more buttons. Better stick with the books._" She took a book from its shelf and opened is. "_Hey! This is in another alphabet! I can't read it!_" She decided to ask the librarian. "Excuse me, but is all your books in this alphabet?"

"Yes, that is the universal alphabet of the galaxy. Why do you ask?"

"I can't read it! Where I come from, we have a different alphabet!"

"Where do you come from, and who might you be anyway?"

Oh, I'm Maya. Maya Lavelle. And my memory was wiped, but I think I come from a place called Tennessee."

"Tennessee? I've never heard of it."

"Yea, I know I'm from nowhere near here."

Meanwhile, Master Gallia was explaining Maya's predicament to the Jedi Council. "She has a fiery spirit and strong willpower. Really, you ought to meet her. And she really should be trained."

"Bring her here immediately, you must." Yoda ordered.

"Yes, Master, but I'm warning you, Maya has a very unique personality and an… interesting vocabulary. I think she is from a very distant land, she can't remember her home planet."

Back at the front entrance, Maya had strangely been feeling nervous. "_What is there to be nervous about?_" She finally saw the Jedi Master come running. "Maya, The Jedi Council wishes to meet you, come."

"The Jedi have a Council?"

"Yes, and I happen to be on it. It is a Council of Masters very strong in the Force."

"So other people can do those light balls, too?"

"That's just it, Maya, no one in the entire history of the Jedi has ever been able to produce light."

"Whoa. So I'm like, the only one who can do it? Why?"

"Good question. That's exactly why you're here." They finally reached the top of the tower, and they walked into a circular room. "Here she is."

A bunch of Jedi were staring at her. "Uh, hi?"

"Hello Maya. I am Master Mace Windu, and we've heard that you have an unusual ability, and we were thinking about training you to be a Jedi."

"A Jedi? Me? Sounds cool! Do y'all want me to try and do the light thing again?"

"Please. _She looks quite nervous, is she that scared about this?_"

Maya had thought about how to make the light again; she knew it had something to do with this Force she kept sensing. She felt the Force with her hands, and began to shape it with tender care. As Maya made a rounded motion, she began to see a small light. It got bigger, and Maya realized she had just created a ball of soft light out of thin air. "Wow! I didn't think I'd be able to do it again! How's that fer light?"

"That's astonishing! Where are you from, Maya?"

"I _think _I'm from Tennessee. _Oh, why am I so nervous? I fell like I'm feeling the feelings of someone else! But…. that can't be right…_"

"Heard of a place called Tennessee in all my years, I have not." Yoda saw a bead of sweat run down Maya's cheek.

"Well, I know it exists, cuz that's where I'm from."

"Scared and nervous you seem, but a reason, I cannot find."

"Me neither! Seriously, I shouldn't be nervous about anything! But… oh no… c'mon…" Maya was kneading her hands, a nervous habit she could never break.

"_Extraordinary. But why?_" Some of the Council were baffled.

"Almost… YES!" Maya dropped to her knees in relief. "Yesyesyesyesyesyesyesssss! Phew!"

"What the heck?" Maya suddenly realized what had just happened and had a funny look on her face.

"Once again, I have no idea what happened! One second I was nervous, and then I felt like, Wahoo we're all saved. You may think I'm crazy, but I think I was feeling someone else's emotions!"

"What you were feeling was a bond between you and someone else via the Force. This is not uncommon among Jedi, especially a master and an apprentice. But you are neither one of those, so how you have a bond is unexplainable! We promise to try and figure it out, Maya, you just get a good night's sleep."

"Really? Thanks!" Master Gallia took Maya to one of the unused apartments.

"Good night. See you in the morning."

At the very moment that Maya had yelled "yes", at the very second she had felt so relieved, Anakin Skywalker had won the Boonta Eve Classic Podrace.


	4. The Good, the Bad, and the Neutral

Maya woke to find herself in a quite comfortable bed in a much nicer room than before. "Oh yea! I'm at the Temple!" Se found some Jedi robes in her size hanging on a hook on the wall and a note attached. There was that alphabet again! She had forgotten to tell Master Gallia that she couldn't read it! Maya assumed the robes were for her. She dressed into her new robes and headed out the sliding door. She started down the hallway and saw various signs, but they were no use. At least Maya could ask someone. She saw a friendly-looking Jedi around the corner. "'Scuse me, but do you know where Master Gallia is? She gave me a note but I can't read it."

"You can't read? What planet are you from?"

"I think it's called Tennessee. My memory was wiped and I can't remember. I know I come from somewhere far away, and we had a different alphabet."

"Oh, you poor thing." She read the note for Maya,

"_Maya – I hope you had a good rest. Here are some robes for you; you can also get some breakfast in the cafeteria. There are signs to point you there. I will meet you in the cafeteria and take you to begin your Jedi training. – Master Gallia_"

"Thanks a lot!"

The Jedi also gave her directions to the cafeteria. "Anytime. I hope you find your home planet!"

Maya soon reached the cafeteria and wondered what food there was. Maya was not picky; she would eat almost anything deemed edible. But Maya did actually found something that resembled pancakes! She felt homesick; her dad had always made the best pancakes. There were many Jedi but none of them paid her any mind; she blended in perfectly with her robes on. Halfway through eating Maya saw Master Gallia coming toward her. "Master! I got your note, but I forgot to tell you that my planet has a different alphabet and I couldn't read it! But I asked somebody and they read it to me."

"Oh wow. I'm sorry. You must come from very far away. At least we know that much. Anyway, since I currently have no missions or meetings, I'm going to teach you the basics of using the Force. Come, I reserved a nice little meditation room for us."

"_Finally, I can learn something better than useless light balls! I mean, the only time they would come in handy is in a power outage!_" Maya followed Master Gallia out of the cafeteria and through various hallways.

"Here we are." Maya entered a small dome-shaped room. It was a bit dark, but quiet.

"Cushy pouf chairs! These are so comfy!"

"I thought you'd like those. All throughout the Temple we have them. You can even have one in your room once we get you permanent quarters. Before we start I want to explain the process of Jedi training. You know nothing about the Jedi, right?"

"Nope. Haven't got a clue. But I think I have an idea about the Force, though."

"Really? Anyhow, for you it'll be different. First, by me or whoever is available, you will be taught the very basics just to see where you are as far as ability. We would've assumed that you'd be an absolute beginner, but since you can produce light, we have no idea what you might be able to do. So, once we figure that out, A Master will take you for his or her Padawan Learner, basically like an apprentice. They will be your mentor, and you will have a bond between them very much like the mysterious bond you felt yesterday. Also, at that time, you will build your first lightsaber."

"Can't you be my master?"

"I would very much like to, Maya. I've grown quite fond of you, and hopefully when the time comes, that can be arranged.

"Once you master feels that he/she has nothing more to teach you, you will face a series of trials, tests designed to tell if you have what it takes to ascend to the rank of Jedi Knight."

"And?"

"That will be very far off from now, but if you want to know, the Council can then make you a Master and have you on their Council."

"Cool."

"Now, the first step in using the Force is clearing your mind. Free yourself of all emotion and try and feel the Force around you."

"But, that's not what I do when I do the light balls! Are you sure?"

"You don't?"

"No, but do y'all wanna hear my idea?"

"I guess so, now I'm quite curious."

"Ok, here goes. One time, I heard these two Jedi talking and I heard them talking about a 'dark side'. Is there a dark side of the Force?"

"Yes."

"Good. So, I did my research and I saw some students making stuff float with the Force. And I began to piece it together."

"_Wow, She catches on quick._"

"With the Force, there is a light side, a dark side and a 'neutral'… side. Bad people use the dark side, I use the light side, and you guys use the neutral side. Y'all use it for good, but yes, y'all use the neutral side. That's what makes me so different and why I can produce light and y'all can't.

"Also, y'all sort of rely on the Force as an ally. I, on the other hand, think of it as a sort of… friend. When I make the light balls I sort of 'shape' the Force with love. It's really hard to explain, I know it sounds weird but I don't know how else to explain it. But, doing that, the Force just sort of works for me. Hey, that shaping thing just gave me an idea! _Why only spheres, why not other shapes?_" Maya began to form a square shape in the air, then using the same emotions to illuminate it. "Ta da! Like it? I wonder what else I can do!"

You are one amazing kid, Maya Lavelle. But first let me address the 'sides' of the Force bit. We had always thought of it like we were using the light side and the Sith used the dark."

"Well, I know y'all use neutral _for _good, but I bet you could use light for bad, or the dark even for good. What's the Sith?"

"That's one thing I know is highly unlikely, and the Sith were a cult established by a Jedi succumbed to the Dark Side. They were masters of the Dark Side, but as far as we know now they have died out."

"Oh."

"Anyway, can you explain this to the Council? They will be _very _interested in what you have to say. I'll let you bring the pouf."

"Sure!"


	5. It's a trophy, you idiot!

"Nobody has ever been interested in what I have to say before." Master Gallia called the little green dude "_Yoda? Yea, that guy who talked funny…_" on her hologram communicator thingy. "_I hope I get one of those._" They soon set off to that circular room again.

"This is quite strange at first, but if you think about it, Maya really has a point." So Maya explained everything to the Council, and they were very intrigued by it all.

"We have never heard anything like that, Maya, but I believe you have something here." Master Windu continued, "We're not even sure how to train you, but you should probably just keep experimenting like you did with the square."

"Sounds fine to me."

"Also, we'll get you your own room. You can choose any empty room in the Temple, We always keep our rooms ready for occupants, so it'll be all set up when you get there."

"Fun! See ya!" Maya ran off to find the perfect place.

"Very baffling, this is."

"Yes, how can an eleven-year-old do _that_, and we can't?"

"I think we should just wait and see what happens."

"Good idea."

¤

Meanwhile, Maya found a really nice room with a big scenic window. But it definitely needed a paint job. "Yay! Interior designing!" Maya set off on her quest for paint supplies.

A little while later, Maya had her paints, but the Council had _another _crazy kid to deal with, this one even younger.

"Clouded, the boy's future is."

"Will he be trained?"

"He's pretty old, but we did make an exception already earlier today."

"Really?"

¤

Great. It was that dang feeling other people's feelings thing again. But this time Maya felt them very, very close, a lot closer than before. It was like; she could almost… sometimes see what they were seeing. Aha. Master Windu was showing this person those little handheld things where you have to guess what picture it is. Maya had aced those. "_It's one of those trophy cups, you idiot!_"

¤

"Huh? Oh, sorry. It's a cup."

"Correct. What happened, Anakin?"

"Well, somebody in my head said, 'It's one of those trophy cups, you idiot!' I don't know who it was."

"Hmm. Eventually it'll get figured out. We're currently working on the Light problem."

"Light problem?"

"We have a girl who can produce light. She's eleven."

"Wow."

"We will deal with it. You are dismissed."

¤

Maya was painting her room a soft yellow. It looked very cheery, but it didn't hurt your eyes. She wasn't sure what she was going to do next, but it looked good so far. It was getting late; she decided to go to bed soon anyway. But before she even had cleaned up the paint, Master Gallia rushed in.

"Maya! I'm going to be your master!"

"Yay!"

"We can start first thing in the morning, and I want you to study our alphabet every day starting tomorrow."

"Not homework! I thought I'd escaped it!"

"Nope, sorry. Also, you happened to pick a room very close to mine. The people around here are also very friendly. And I like your paint job."

"Thanks. I'm not done yet."

"I see. Good night."

¤

Maya turned out to be a very fast learner, and she discovered new things to do with Light almost every day. Her favorite thing to do was to go and look at all the vehicles in the hangar. Being an aspiring inventor, Maya was fascinated by the technology. Her favorite were the swoop bikes. Maya thought they were elegant, but durable, and she wished she had one. Maya asked Master Gallia if she could try one.

"Do you want me to teach you, Padawan?"

"Can I just get a feel of it first?"

"Sure." Maya climbed up on one and put her hands on the handlebars.

"Wow this is fun! How do you make it go?"

"Seeing your anxiety, I should probably tell you where the brakes are first. To stop, squeeze the handlebar on the left, and to go, squeeze the one on the right."

"K. Can do." Maya started slowly but realized how much easier it was than she thought. She pressed harder, and went faster and faster, and she zoomed out of the hangar.

"Maya! Don't go too far!"

"OK!"

"_She's got a knack for those things._"

"These are fun! Can I ride one when I want?"

"I don't' see why not, as long as you be careful and stay far away from others."

"Ok!"

¤

"Master?"

"Yes, Anakin?"

"Is it possible to do a barrel roll on a swoop bike?"

"No, why?"

"Well, _she _is." Anakin pointed to a Padawan not much older than himself having the time of her life doing astonishing stunts.

"Wow. I guess it is possible."

**A/N: Maya loves those swoop bikes! One is going to come in handy later…**


	6. Maya's New Lightsaber

Maya soon learned that if you press one of the buttons at the library, a little tray sort of thing will slide out and a hologram will come on. So she went to the library almost every day and tried to learn everything she could about the galaxy she now called home. Her Master quizzed her sometimes, and Maya would usually do very well. She would spend hours at the library; everything was so new and different to her. "Soon we will go to Ilum where you will construct your very own lightsaber."

"Ilum! The… icy mountain planet with the cave! Crystal cave!"

"Right!"

"So I get my own lightsaber now?"

"Yep."

"What color will it be?"

"That depends. You have to let the Force guide you when choosing a crystal, but they are clear. Only when they are in bunches will they give off a faint glow in their color."

"What colors are there? I've only seen blue and green. Oh yea, and Master Windu has purple."

"That's because that's all there is. Except the Sith used red."

"Oh. This'll be fun, I get to build something!"

"You've built things before."

"Something that legitimately _works._"

"Ah."

The next day, Adi and Maya flew off in what Maya believed to be Master Gallia's really-awesome-super-cool-Jedi-starfighter-that-she-should-paint-green. When they reached Ilum in their very warm fuzzy coats (Maya had commented that her planet didn't make coats _nearly _this warm) Maya began to meditate. They had noticed a while back that when Maya meditated, she _glowed_. She glowed with a soft yellow light, the same light as her light balls (well, by now Maya could make any shape out of light). Maya felt the Force telling her where in the intricate cave to go, and she sped off into the tunnels.

A while later, Maya hadn't returned. "_I know I found mine a lot faster that that. Maybe she's dillydallying._"

Deep inside the caverns, Maya finally reached her destination after much climbing, running, crawling, and scrambling to get through certain places. "Alright, Force, you made me come all this way, this **better be good**. She was in a small hollow with only one crystal inside—on the ceiling. "_Here goes nothing._" Maya jumped and jumped, then finally was able to grab hold of the crystal, but was hanging from the top and the crystal was embedded in ice. "I wish I had a lightsaber to melt the ice for this crystal use to make a lightsaber." Maya started swinging and pulling, but it was no use. She jumped down to give her arms a rest. She called to her Master telepathically, "_Help. The _ _crystal is stuck in ice. Can I borrow your lightsaber?_"

"_Try and free it yourself. Use the Force. Try pushing the Force and cracking the ice. Trust me, you can do it._"

"_Ok._" Maya called on the Force and pushed with her hands at the ice around the crystal. It cracked a little, but it wasn't enough. She tried harder, used more Force around her, absorbed it, compressed it all together and _pushed_. Suddenly a flash of light blinded her and there was a big blast.

¤

Master Gallia heard a rumbling. "Uh oh. Better see what's up." She ran toward the noise to find that a small section on the cave had collapsed! "Maya! Where are you?" Then out of the snow, a gloved hand popped out, holding a small crystal.

Maya climbed out of the ice and snow. "Brr! I got it!" She looked back and realized the damage she caused. "Whoops. I'm in big trouble, aren't I?"

"If you have a legitimate explanation, then no. But I'd like to find out how in the galaxy you managed to collapse a solid ice structure."

Maya explained what she did to try and crack the ice. "And then there was this big flash of light and it collapsed."

"After I told you to push the Force. Can you do it again?"

"I think so. But it's pretty destructive. I'll do it on that rock over there." Maya repeated what she had done the last time, and she created a beam of light that blasted the boulder into smithereens.

"Whoa!"

"Awesome. But can I go build my lightsaber now?"

"Oh yes, go right ahead. It's warmer in the cave."

Maya sat down and spread out all the parts she had. She had gotten a large variety, and was mostly experimenting and seeing what she could build. Adi watched her Padawan work, her wondering green eyes engulfed in the creation of her new weapon. Maya took a very, very long time, but her Master had patience and understanding that this was not only Maya's first time building a lightsaber, she had never even seen this technology.

"I'm almost done!" Maya just had to put the crystal inside and the two halves together. "Like it?"

"But Maya, you didn't put an ignition button."

"I know. I'm going to use the Force to ignite it. That way, people who can't use the Force can't use it."

"That's a great idea! Why didn't I think of that? Anyway, now you can see what color that crystal is!"

Maya held her saber out in front of her and ignited it. Her master gasped. "Dude! It's like, _pink!_"

"Never, in all my years have I ever seen a pink lightsaber. You never cease to amaze me, Maya." Maya was swinging her lightsaber around.

"I want to do tricks with it. It looks really cool if you swing it fast."

¤

They reached the Temple again, and while Maya returned to her quarters, her master returned with news of Maya's lightsaber color and the light blast incident.

Maya found that somebody had moved in the room next to hers. "I got a neighbor!" Hopefully it was someone her age.

The Council was planning for Maya to demonstrate all that she could do and determine how powerful she really was.

**A/N: Sorry for not updating before, I'm working on something else pertaining to this story. Thanks for all the reviews! »Molly**


	7. A Spontaneous Rescue Mission

**A/N: Sorry for the delay, I've been working on a new project. Probably by Ch. 8 it'll be finished.**

"Let's go, Maya, we have to hurry!"

"Ok." They were leaving to go to Cato Neimodia, where leaders of the Trade Federation were believed to be hiding. They were not alone, some other Jedi were coming as well, just in case. She couldn't wait to blast some druids to smithereens.

"It's more of a negotiation mission, sorry."

"Dangit." But she did like the fact that just in case of an emergency, they would be using swoop bikes.

It didn't take long to get to Cato Neimodia, and it looked pretty much deserted. "Not a good sign. Stay close, Maya, I think they knew we were coming."

"_Maybe I'll get to kick some droid butt after all._" They proceeded to a large building, but a droid security guard stopped them.

"State your business."

"We want to see the leaders of the Trade Federation. We have a proposition for them." Of course there was no proposition, Adi and Maya were just passing off as friendly and willing to help.

"We know what you're up to. Hands up, Jedi."

"_Now._" Maya took her cue and one flash of light later; the guard was reduced to nothing more than a pile of parts. They turned around to find that the other Jedi had come out of hiding and were fighting the droids that has also come. Maya ignited her lightsaber and swiftly sliced any droid that came her way.

¤

Droids had cornered Obi-Wan and Anakin at the edge of a high cliff. Obi-Wan was fighting off as many as he could, but he could see Anakin wasn't going to be fast enough to stop them all. He was doing fairly well, but there were so many. "Anakin! Be careful over there!"

¤

Master Gallia saw Obi-Wan on the cliff. "_Uh oh. Looks like he's got his hands full up there._" Obi-Wan was a good friend of hers; she hoped nothing happened to him. Maya was seeing the same thing.

"Master! That boy's about to fall off the cliff! I have to save him!"

"Obi-Wan and his Padawan can take care of themselves, Maya! Concentrate on your own duties!"

"_But Master, I have to. The Force is telling me._"

¤

"Anakin! NO!" Anakin lost his balance when a droid was about to shoot him, and he tumbled off the rocky cliff.

"Masteeeerrrrrr!"

Maya jumped on a swoop bike and zoomed away at full power. She quickly dodged all the blaster bolts and knocked any droid in her way to the side. The only advantage of the cliff being really, really big was that it gave Maya more time. With a small dip, she absorbed the boy's momentum and caught him just before he hit the rocky ground.

"Dude. You're not dead. Wake up, and hold on tight!"

"Wha—whoa!" Anakin grabbed on to his rescuer as they sped off toward a small clearing. They were going so fast that Maya had to make a U-shaped turn up then down a small cliff!

"Whee! Isn't this fun? It's like a rollercoaster!"

"Yea! This is sort of like podracing!"

"What the heck is podracing?" They soon came to the clearing, and stopped behind a hill, hidden from view. "I can't believe I was able to save you! Are you alright?"

"Miraculously, I'm fine. Thank you. Who are you anyway, and why did you rescue me?"

"Maya Lavelle, Master Gallia's Padawan. I rescued you because the Force sort of told me. Weird, I know. And you are?"

"Anakin. Anakin Skywalker."

"Nice to meet—" Maya looked around, and found that they had been surrounded by droids. "Run!"

"What about you?"

"I'll manage. _I hope._"

"We've got you now, Light Girl."

"_Light Girl? How cheesy is _that" Maya called on the Force and absorbed it all around her. She made a sweeping, circular motion and a ring of light sliced every single droid in half.

"WOW! That was amazing!" Anakin said from the swoop bike, "How'd you do that?"

"Uhh, long story. Actually, that was the first time I've ever done that. I have this special Force power of light, and I really think it's learnable, though. C'mon, let's go, I bet Master Kenobi will be happy to see you."

¤

The battle had ended; the Jedi had overthrown the droids and searched everywhere, but found out that the Trade Federation leaders had received word that they had arrived and fled. Adi ran over to Obi-Wan and told him what happened to his Padawan. "Maya is a very good swoop bike pilot; she had a very good chance of catching him. But for some odd reason, she said the Force urged her to save Anakin."

"I just hope he's alright. I should've protected him better." Just then Maya and Anakin whizzed past on the bike.

"Yee haw! Hey Master Kenobi, I got Anakin!"

"Anakin! You're safe! Oh, thank you Maya, what would I ever have done without you!"

"Anytime."

"Master, did you see all those droids fall in that one spot over there? Maya did that!" Anakin explained Maya's "Light ring".

"Yea, you kinda get used to it after a while, doing new crazy things all the time. Anyway, everybody else is leaving; I say we all just go home. I want to show you guys my room!"

"That big yellow one with the window? I've seen it, Adi showed it to me. The most unique room in the Temple."

"Thanks. I try."


	8. The Spirit of Christmas

**A/N: Sorry for such a delay! School has been _really _hectic, I've had to stay up til 11 to finish my homework! Also midterm exams are coming up.Ick. **

Maya was rummaging through her things one pretty much dull day when she found her flute. "_I completely forgot! Great, I'm outta practice! Oh well, might as well play, hopefully it won't sound _too_ bad._" She began playing all the easy stuff like Twinkle Twinkle and the Minuets. She did mess up a lot, but in due time it was coming back to her.

"What in the galaxy is that noise?" Anakin was in his room, which had turned out to be right next to Maya's.

"I'm practicing my flute. I found it in my stuff from home and found I was out of practice."

"Oh. It actually sounds pretty good. I've never heard that sound before." Anakin said he wanted to go work on one of his building projects, and left Maya to her practice.

Maya found that she was still pretty decent, but she should practice more often now that she found her flute. After a couple of hours she was tired of playing but felt that she had accomplished something. Maya decided to write some more in her diary she was keeping to bring back home, she hadn't done it for today yet. One thing Maya had always done was keep the date in her home calendar style, that way she would never forget what the day and year it was on her home planet. She began to write:

December 2, 

"_WHAT? December second already? Oh no! Where has the time gone? We need to start decor—"_But then Maya realized that they probably didn't celebrate Christmas here, and Maya and her family had been great decorating enthusiasts. "Well, if they didn't celebrate Christmas, they do now!" Maya went to the Archives to do a little research.

¤

"Aha! They do have something resembling Christmas trees here!" That was the very last thing Maya needed, and she sought out her Master in need of someone to help her with a few… errands.

"And what is this all for, Maya?"

"Christmas! A holiday we celebrated back home! It was my favorite holiday! You like, give presents and stuff!"

"Well, ok, I actually have some free time right now. You were lucky for catching me today."

¤

Many hours later, many Jedi were surprised to see a young Padawan and her Master tromping in with boxes and boxes of who knows what. "This is just the beginning. Wait til y'all see the tree!"

"_Trees? What trees? Why do we need _trees_ in the Temple?_" But the girl was right; soon they were levitating big spruce trees through the door.

"Don't worry, the Council has already approved of this; it'll be quite interesting." Actually, Adi had merely mentioned the decoration mission and the Council seemed to agree.

¤

"Phew." Maya had just finished putting a string of garland around every column in the Archives. She had also put a red bow at the top of each column. But, she had to admit, the Force made decorating a heck of a lot easier.

"Maya! The cafeteria's done!" Anakin had loved the idea of Christmas and had volunteered to help with decorating.

"That's great! I'm tired, we can do the rest tomorrow."

"Good idea."

Maya had a restful sleep that night knowing she was bringing the joy of Christmas to those who'd never had it before. She couldn't imagine a life without the holiday, and she already had gift ideas. There was still so much to do, and with Jedi duties in the way, she'd have to work extra fast. But Maya didn't really mind.

¤

Maya had only two things left to do the next day: the tree and the tower. That's what she had named these two projects, and she had decided to do the Tower first, it would be harder. She had already gained permission for this decorating escapade, and although quite risky, it would look beautiful. All Maya needed was a big star, bungee cords, and a **lot **of garland.

An hour later, Maya and Anakin were on the top of the middle Temple tower securing a really big sparkling star on top of it. "Almost! Can you reach that last point?" Anakin reached so far that he slid to the side and downward. "Be careful, Ani!" Anakin grappled for something to hold on to but he kept slipping…

Meanwhile, the Jedi Council had called in some leaders of the Republic to tell them about their two new "special cases". The meeting had been going on for a while, and now Master Windu had just finished explaining Anakin's uncanny ability to construct droids and other complex machinery. "He is very hard working and enjoys helping others out…"

"Does he enjoy swinging from the Jedi Temple on a bungee cord?" One of the Senators had seen a Padawan swinging back and forth waving through the soundproof window.

Everyone looked at the window. "Anakin! Pay dearly for this, you will!"

Anakin was mouthing through the soundproof window, "But I fell off, Master Yoda! I didn't mean to!" He then found himself being pulled up by Maya.

"Jeez, Anakin, get a grip!" Maya laughed.

"Actually I sort of dropped in on a Council meeting."

"Uh-oh. What did they say?"

"Well, there were senators there too, and most of them thought it was pretty funny, but I thing Yoda said I was in trouble but I tried to tell him that I fell."

"Oh well, we can explain it later. Let's get the garland; I already told Master Kenobi he could bring it up." Moments later they saw Obi-Wan fly up in a small cargo cruiser with all the tree garland that they had strung lights around. Their type of lighting had fascinated Maya at the time.

Obi-Wan couldn't believe what he was doing. "Are you ready for the garland now?"

"Yea, here!" Maya offered her outstretched hand and caught the garland as he threw it. "Thanks!'

"Now, remember the drill." Maya had come up with a plant to string the garland around the tower. This was a big project and the Council was only letting her do it because it was her first year, anyway. They slowly walked backwards down the tower supported by bungee cords as they used the Force to string the garland around the tower.

When Maya and Anakin reached the bottom, they stood back to admire their handiwork. "Turn the lights on!" Maya pressed a button on a power generator and the lights on the garland illuminated it and the star. But you really couldn't see them very well; it was still daylight.

"We'll turn 'em on at night. Let's do the tree." With the help of Adi and Obi-Wan, they had set up the big Christmas tree in the lobby. Now, they just had to decorate it. "On my home planet, we would've had to use a ladder to get the high places!"

"What's a ladder?"

"It's like this wooden thing with rungs that you stand on to climb up and get higher to reach stuff."

"Oh." They didn't have many ornaments, just ones they had made in their spare time. They also had red lights and gold beads to string around it; the Force made this an easy task.

¤

By evening, Maya and Anakin, even with their Masters' help, hadn't finished the tree. But there were always other days. It was only December 4th, anyway. Adi had told the Council about the tree, and a lot of people were coming to see them turn it on. Most of them had never seen such a thing, and were interested in this strange custom.

"Alright, y'all, here it is!" Maya pressed the button, and everyone stared in awe. "Well, looks like we did a pretty good job, Ani." She high-fived him. Anakin yawned.

" Can we go to bed now?"

"I'm pretty sure I can, I don't even think I can make it _to _bed. But I'll make an effort."

"G'night, Maya."

"'Night."


	9. A Special Gift

**A/N: Finally, Chapter Nine is up! I'm in the middle of exam week at school, so I don't get that much time to write. But now I have time, math is _finished!_ Whoopee:D**

Maya had all her presents ready by December 23. What was even better was that her friends had taken her lead and also wrapped presents. (The only reason Maya knew this was because she had been looking through all the presents, searching for ones for her. Unfortunately for Maya, she had been caught.) But she had found some for her and couldn't wait for Christmas. Everyone had seemed to accept the idea of Christmas, and not only did they accept it, they thought it was a great idea. Maya had become well known throughout the Temple for bringing the strange holiday, and everyone wondered where in the universe she was from. Maya had a Christmas carol stuck in her head and she just had to sing it…

"_I heard the bells on Christmas day,_

_Their old familiar carols play_

_And mild and sweet_

_The words repeat_

_Of peace on Earth, good will to men.'_

"_Till ringing, singing on its way,_

_The world revolves from night to day,_

_A voice, a chime_

_A chant sublime_

_Of peace on Earth good will to men."_

Maya had a pretty voice and she sang Chri9stmas carols often, the foreign music was interesting to the Jedi. "Wait… what was that last line again?" Anakin had been walking with her from lunch.

"It was just 'Of peace on Earth good will to men.' Wh—", Maya paused, "PEACE ON _EARTH! _That's it, that's it, that's it! You're a genius!" Maya raced to the Archive databases and was going to look up Planet Earth.

"But, if your planet's name is Earth, what's Tennessee?"

"Oh, you got a point there. Hmm… I think Earth is the planet, and Tennessee is… a state!"

"What's a state?"

"You don't have states? Uh oh." She had been searching through the records for anything and everything related to Earth. "Great. All they say Earth is is a bunch of dirt. It's not even a proper noun."

"I'm sorry, Maya, I mean, I know your planet exists out there, it's just so far away no one here knows about it except you. But I know we'll find it, I can feel it. Someday we will, I promise."

"Really?"

"Really."

¤

Maya told Adi about Earth and how they looked for it, but didn't find anything. "Oh, Maya that must've been a real disappointment. We'll never stop looking for it, and always write down what you remember in your diary and write it in your own alphabet. I want you never to forget where you came from, Maya, because someday you can go back and bring news of our galaxy to your planet. You, being knowledgeable of both worlds, can easily make alliances and negotiate. So there is more than one benefit to finding Earth, young one, and the Council is trying to help you."

"Well, then maybe it won't take very long!"

"You never know how long something like this will take. But hopefully, soon."

Two days later, Maya woke up to realize it was Christmas. "Christmas! Wahoo!" She did a backflip out the door. She banged on Anakin's door. Wake up! It's Christmas!"

"I'm up, I'm up!" He yawned and followed Maya to go find his presents. There sure were a lot of presents, there were a lot of Jedi currently residing at the Temple, and everyone wanted to give his or her friends and master/apprentice a gift.

"It's a present mountain! Awesome!" Maya read every name, trying to find her own. "Be careful with those presents! Some stuff might be breakable!"

"Hey, I found one from you! Thanks!"

"You'll really like it." Maya had found this really rare part that Anakin needed for his new invention: a holo-pad that instead of just blue, he could make the hologram red, blue, or green. The colors should be interchangeable, but Maya found the little gear that's supposed to make it be able to change colors by a switch. She'd done her research and had finally found the gear. She saw him tear open the wrapping.

"It's the gear! And I was almost ready to give up! How did you ever find it? Thanks so much, Maya!" Maya was opening a present from Master Gallia. It was a blank diary.

"Yes! I'm running out of room in my old invention book!"

"You still write on paper?"

"Yea, it's what I'm used to. And I can write in my own alphabet so I won't forget."

"Oh, that makes sense." By this time a lot of others had come to open their presents, and it got to be pretty hectic with all the people. Barely anyone could actually get to his or her present.

"Ok, I got an idea. Everybody freeze!" The Jedi stopped. "Here, this'll make it a lot easier. We can get a couple people and hand out presents one by one. Maya's plan was initiated, and progress went very quickly.

All that was left after the present frenzy was piles of wrapping paper. As they were picking it up, Maya found a small box behind the trunk of the tree. "_I guess it got pushed there._" She picked it up and found it was for her. "_Sweet! One last present!_" It was from Anakin. Maya opened it and found a wooden pendant, carved with the same symbol she had used on her lightsaber. She had warmed and softened the metal she was going to use, and carved a small circle with four lines extending outward. It was pretty simple, but Maya guessed Anakin had paid attention when she had shown him her lightsaber. It was supposed to symbolize light, always reaching outward and never-ending like a circle. But then again, Maya didn't have the greatest artistic vision.

"Do you like it?"

"I love it." She hugged him. "I can't believe you carved my symbol. You are very observant."

"Thanks."

¤

Maya's first Christmas without her family wasn't all that bad, but she had felt a little homesick. She just wished she could see them just for Christmas: her dad, her mom, Sara, Ricky, and David. David was her only younger sibling and he had been annoying, but now she missed him. She hoped her family still had a nice Christmas without her.

**A/N: Now you all know why I put this: ¤ on the story! I made that up just for this chapter (and so I can have an excuse to use it because it looks neat.) It'll mean a lot more later, though.  
**


	10. One Last Hope

_A few months after Christmas, in February_

"Y'know, Master, it's my birthday soon. I'll be thirteen."

"Oh really? When is it?"

"March 4th."

"March 4th?"

"Oh yea, you don't know the Earth calendar system. I'd say it's around a month and a week from now in your time."

"Oh, well, actually I was struck by the perfect present idea."

"Really?"

"Yes, but it's a surprise. You'll have to wait."

"Dangit."

Adi had a Council meeting, but she caught Obi-Wan and Anakin in the hall on her way back. "Maya just told me it was her birthday soon this morning! I have a great present idea but I'm going to need your help."

"Sure. What's your idea?"

"Her very own swoop bike that she can paint herself. She always comes up with such neat designs, so I thought we should let her paint it."

Anakin was pretty excited. "Cool! She'd love it!"

"I already asked at the meeting if we could give her one that we have, and everyone thought she deserved it. So that's taken care of. But where should we hide it?"

"I can hide it in my closet." Anakin volunteered.

"No, you have too much junk in there." Obi-Wan stated. "We can hide it in my closet."

"It's not junk! They're inventions in progress!"

"Ok, but a swoop bike can't fit in with all those inventions in progress. You can do the gift tag and bring it out on her birthday."

"Fine."

"Well, now that we have that settled, we should _actually get the swoop bike!_"

"Oh yea. Sorry about that, Adi." They proceeded to the hangar and found one that worked really well but needed a paint job.

"This is great! Let's go hide it." Anakin made sure he knew where Maya was so she wouldn't see them hiding a swoop bike and ask why. "All clear! She just went outside." Hurriedly, they stuck the bike in Obi-Wan's closet.

"Now we just have to wait."

¤

Maya was sitting ouside in the garden trying to play more songs on her flute. She was playing "Yankee Doodle" when Anakin came over and asked her what song she was playing. "It's called 'Yankee Doodle'. It has a lot of history to it in the lyrics:

"_Yankee Doodle went to town,_

_Riding on a pony,_

_Stuck a feather in his hat,_

_And called it macaroni._

_Yankee Doodle, keep it up,_

_Yankee Doodle, dandy,_

_Mind the music and the step,_

_And with the girls be handy._"

"I don't get it! What's macaroni? What's a Yankee?"

"Ok, slow down. Ready for some American history?"

"American?"

"My country! Yesss! Thank you, Ani!"

"Yea, but what's a country?" Maya thought for a moment.

"Truthfully, I forgot. I think it's like a section of Earth or something like that. Anyway, for starters, America wasn't originally an official country. It was just a bunch of colonies.

Britain was a country that the colonists came from, and soon the colonists wanted freedom from the rule of the British monarchy and wanted to make their own country. So they rebelled against Britain. The British army made up the song to mock the American rebels, the Yankees. But the Yankees actually liked the song and sang it a lot. They thought it was funny."

"Eventually who won?"

"The Americans did, of course, and they founded our country. I probably have at least some of this history wrong, but all that studying at school made me remember most of it."

"So you're saying your country was founded by a bunch of _rebels?_" Anakin was for some reason secretly bewildered and appalled at this, but he didn't say anything.

"Yea, pretty much. But this was like, a long time ago, so it wouldn't matter anyway."

¤

_March 4th_

_Today I turned thirteen! Anakin made a chocolate cake, but I think he burnt it. I ate it anyway. The best part was I GOT MY VERY OWN SWOOP BIKE! It was Master Gallia's idea, and I got to paint it and everything! I painted some of it with red and white stripes and some of it I painted blue with white stars. They asked me why and I said I was being patriotic. They still didn't get it. _

_I can't believe I've spent a little more than half a year here at the Temple. I've adjusted really well and I quite like it here. But I bet everyone at home misses me. I wonder what they're doing right now. They've probably given up looking for me. They would never think to look in another galaxy even if they could get to one. I bet they would never believe me if I came back and told them I was a Jedi. Maybe David would, but he's so gullible anyway. I hope I can go home someday. Well, I'd still want to be a Jedi, but I could just go home to visit when I don't have a mission. I wonder what they would think of my master, or of Anakin? Maybe I'll never find Earth and I'll just spend my whole life here. I bet Mom and Dad would be really sad if they never found me. But I believe there will, always and forever, be hope._

The End

_To Be Continued_

**A/N: I'd like to thank all the generous reviewers of this story; I really appreciate it. I thank all those who took the time to read and enjoy this. One more thing, this story will most definitely continue with an Episode II and III, but I don't know after that. :) »Molly**


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